Changing Impressions
by Knowledge-comes-Wisdom-lingers
Summary: They say, 'change always comes bearing gifts', but it's never what you expect.
1. A Debacle

_**Changing Impressions**_

**Disclaimer: ****Hey Arnold and its characters do not belong to me.**

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><p>There comes a time when one must come to face the truth or… when the truth finds you.<p>

That day had arrived for a certain girl named Helga G. Pataki. But what she hadn't realized was how drastic her life would change from that day on.

It was early fall, the wind was blowing, and the leaves were transitioning from the bright greens of summer to an array of brown-reddish-gold hues. Kids walked about the streets or were bustled in buses making their way to school. All in all, it was a typical school day for the kids of P.S.118. It's been a year since Mr. Simmons 5th grade class made that trip to the jungles of San Lorenzo, where they encountered river pirates, a village of indigenous people, and the infamous mercenary La Sombra. Through their strenuous journey, they overcame many dangerous obstacles to return with treasured memories. And with the boldness of two young children, Arnold and Helga, they have managed to escape the clutches of La Sombra to find his parents from captivity and to return them safely home. The journey in itself was a remarkable accomplishment.

Everything was looking bright, especially for Helga; because there she received the greatest gift her beloved could ever have given her. His love. Walking to class hand in hand with her flaxen hair angel now seemed the norm, yet it still felt new. Both young individuals held a look of bliss on their faces as they made their way to their respective desks now situated side by side. Fellow classmates as well filed into class as the bell rang. Most of them sat, chatting away or prepared themselves for the incoming lesson.

Mrs. Quagmire, the 6th grade class teacher, walked in and quickly began taking roll before starting the day's lesson. Meanwhile, Arnold and Helga continued to stare lovingly at each other, lost in space. Going through her list the teacher called out, "Pataki, Helga". But Helga didn't hear she just goofily stared into seas of green, enchanted by them. Her mouth quirk upwards as she looked into them. She sighed inwardly as she placed her palm to her chin _"Haaaaah, his eyes are so beautiful! Like the gateway to his soul, which leaves me breathless in wonder. And unmatched by no other. " "Oh man, I should write that down later."_ She thought as she continued to look into them. Arnold himself couldn't help look away from her either. She had this… adorable smile that just illuminated the room. It made him want to take her in his arms and snuggle up with her. He wanted to hold her close. _"She's so smart, and talented, and beautiful. She's… amazing!"_

The teacher repeated once more. "Pataki, Helga" Yet still no response from the lovesick girl. It looked as if she had gone off into wonderland along with her boyfriend. A daily reoccurrence, it seems. With a huge sigh, Mrs. Quagmire lifted up her head and shook it with frustration as the class snickered at them, still oblivious of what was going on. With firmness Mrs. Quagmire uttered, her voice raised. "MISS…PATAKI"

At the loudness of the instructor's voice, Helga swiftly came out of her daze to stare angrily at her teacher for interrupting her slice of heaven.

"WHAT?" she gritted back forcefully as she whipped her head in her teacher's direction. Her teeth tightly clenched and her hands strongly gripping the sides of her desk as she tried to control her temper. Helga was about to give a snide remark, when she was interrupted by a hand softly sliding up and down her forearm in a soothing manner, thereby, aiding her to release her tight grip atop the graffiti infested school desk and relax her facial expression. Within seconds she was calm. A new record!

And Helga spoke once more, "I mean…yes, Mrs. Quagmire." She uttered as she tried her best to put on a fake smile on her face. The teacher looked to Helga skeptically and said. "I'll advise that you and Mr. Shortman should keep your minds on school when you're in school. You'll have plenty of free time to be… distracted…after school, understand." Gazing at them with her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose, she dipped her head down slightly to take a good look at them, emphasizing her point.

Both Arnold and Helga blushed at her remark, but quickly composed themselves to reply in unison. "Yes ma'am" they uttered as they reluctantly redirected their gazes to the teacher. The teacher continued on, finishing her role call before beginning her lesson. And the day went on as usual.

At lunch time, usually the gang ate lunch together. But since last year, Arnold and Helga slowly strayed themselves away from the group at this particular hour. They were inseparable. As the couple sat in a corner table away from the general crowd, enjoying their lunch, the gang themselves chatted away at a table a few feet from them. At times the group would watch the couple with curiosity as they fed each other or while they stole innocent kisses, as if they were zoologists observing wildlife. They were the talk of P.S.118 for quite some time and still are on occasion.

Leading the conversation of course was solely given to the self-proclaimed gossip queen of the school…Ms. Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. "You know…It still baffles me how our honest to goodness Arnold can be so in love with his bully… Helga Pataki, it's upsetting you know!" Rhonda stated bewildered at the actuality of what she was witnessing before taking a bite out of her petit four. But Nadine sincerely smiled looking to the couple in awe for a moment as she replied. "Well, I think they're cute. It's really sweet how so in love they are."

Lila wide-eyed gushed. "Gosh, I would have to agree with Nadine on this one Rhonda. I think they're ever so cute. Just ever so cute" She giggled upon finishing her sentence. The other boys made faces as the girls discussed this subject, although it wasn't the first time it came up. With the exception of a few, it came quite as a shock to most of them upon finding out. When it was made official and both Arnold and Helga came out in the open admitting their feelings for each other to their friends, some thought that the end of the world had come…well mainly Sid. Other than the temporary moment of hysteria on his part, everyone pretty much accepted it and moved on. But still, watching them like that felt extremely awkward knowing their history. And the process still felt very new to them now that feelings among friends have started to change along with their mentalities as they continued to grow up. Sitting at the end of the table nearest to the couple, Gerald looked somewhat disgusted at their mushy behavior. He had to admit, he was taken aback when he first saw them act…'strangely' in the jungle, but generally he was happy for his best friend. It took him a few failed attempts at finding love, but he's glad that his friend had finally found someone who returned the same sentiments he had for her. Gerald thought, _"But why does he have to be all over her like that, that's just gross! What happened to girls having cooties man, what happened to that?" _But as he finished that thought his eyes wandered off, landing on Phoebe as she took a bite out of an apple. He began to wonder about the prospects of him and the sweet petite Asian girl getting together. He smiled to himself, thinking. _"Well that wouldn't be so bad." _

Sensing that she's being watched, Phoebe lifted up her head and noticed him staring at her. She blushed, which Gerald as smooth as he tried to be could only afford to wink in response then quickly turned his head to hide his blush after receiving her bright smile. He tried to control his rapid heartbeat from increasing by distracting himself as he drank from his can of soda. Placing it back on the table, he slightly turned his head to look her way once more. She blushed again, slightly lowering her head, her eyes still on him slightly downcast. _"Play it cool Gerald, just…play it cool!"_

He nervously smiled and she giggled, putting a hand to her lips, trying to hold back the excessive amusement of his behavior,_ "Gerald has the kookiest smile, it's so cute."_ And she giggled once more as she saw him, trying to look suave as he posed like some model, placing his elbow on the table while bringing his thumb and forefinger to his chin, stroking it. Something he noticed Jamie-O doing in order to get a girl to notice him. Phoebe tried to hold back her laughter, but she also felt flattered that he searched for her attention.

But before any more flirting could be done, the lunch bell rang and everyone at the table dispersed. Nadine, Lila, and Rhonda left the lunch room together with Rhonda still chatting away about a fellow classmate's fashion faux pas. "And she had the nerve to wear white sneakers with those caprini pants, that style was sooooo last year. I mean…can you believe it?" She uttered dramatically on her way out as Nadine and Lila followed, merely looking to each other quizzically and shrugged, not getting the big deal about the possible errors their classmates make on the latest trends. Stinky, Sid, Eugene, and Harold left as well with Sid betting Harold that next lunch he wouldn't be able to down all of their mystery meats put together in one sitting. Whilst Gerald still trying to be 'Mr. Casanova' offered to accompany Phoebe to class. And she obliged. Gerald grinned in success in 'sweet talking' to Phoebe. He inwardly thought as they exited the lunchroom his arm wrapped upon her shoulders_, "Oh yeah Arnold, I got game too!"_

But…oblivious to the crowd exiting the lunch room were the two blondes who remained rooted to their seats. Within minutes, the lunch was room was empty save for the lunch ladies and janitorial staff cleaning up the mess the kids have made. Helga turned for a moment to look around her and noticed that the cafeteria was nearly bare. A smirk came to her face as she looked back at Arnold and began to lean toward him. Arnold looked around as well and was about to tell her that they should get going when he felt her lips crash land intensely to his own. He was stunned for a moment, but he soon responded to her kiss. He relished at the feel of her soft lips as they navigated on his, tasting the sweetness of her bubblegum flavor lip gloss, which traveled to his tongue. Her arms slid about his neck as she lowly moaned in contentment. They were entwined in their kiss for more than a few seconds. Needing air, she yielded and pulled back to stare at his goofy half-lidded expression. _"He's so adorable when he does that!" She thought. _

Helga giggled in delight, uttering. "Oh Arnold, you don't know how much I thought about doing this all day." Still in a daze Arnold replied as he panted. "Well…I'm glad you did my Angel." Helga couldn't contain herself she wanted more as she leaned in again and captured his lips to hers. But this kiss didn't last as long, for Arnold heard the second bell, indicating the start of class. Locked in the kiss, Arnold spoke against her lips, his voice muffled. "Helga? Helga! We need get to class." Holding her shoulders, he slowly pulled away from her and saw her pouting once they parted. He chuckled at her expression, saying. "You know you're making it hard for me to resist you when you look like that!" A grin came to her face then. "Is that so Football-Head?" she replied, her unibrow partially raised.

He replied looking at her slyly. "Mm, hm…very much so"

So she leaned forward once more and pouted again. "Well…maybe I should do this more often." She said with a smirk. He leaned in as well. "Maybe you should" he replied smoothly as he chuckled, anticipating the moment. They got within mere centimeters of each others lips when Principal Wartz passed by the cafeteria door mumbling incomprehensible words while playing with two miniature action figures in his hands, forcing the two lovebirds to jump away from each other. Doing a double-take, he stopped at the cafeteria door and saw the two pre-teens awkwardly staring at him as they sat real close to each other, both red in the face. His brow furrowed as he approached them. "Shouldn't you two kids be in class?"

Helga, regaining her composure raised an eyebrow and with a mischievous grin, she responded with a question of her own. "And aren't you too old to be playing with toys?" Principal Wartz stood there stunned for a moment as he looked to her. Simultaneously, Arnold's eyes widened at her statement. He nervously looked to Helga, her arms crossed on her chest and a victorious smirk on her face. He shook his head in disbelief at her audacity, sliding his palm over his face, he lowly groaned. "No Helga, Nooo!"

But right away, Principal Wartz placed his hands behind his back, hiding the mentioned toys behind him. His face grew stern as he eyed Helga while defensively replying. "Miss Pataki, need I remind you that classes are now in session, I suggest you relay your attention to that than ..to other ...uh...matters. Yes, yes that's it. (Wartz complimenting himself for his save) Besides, these… things were just confiscated. I was uh…merely going to drop them in the lost and found box, so the owner can pick them up after school."

Helga and Arnold both looked to each other, not believing a word of it. But Arnold spoke up, uttering rapidly. "Well Principal Wartz, we'll take your advice and head to class now so we won't miss too much." Helga muttered lowly, "Pftt, fat chance Arnold." But Arnold swiftly grabbed Helga's hand and ran out of the cafeteria before the semi-bald headed principal of the school took it upon himself to place them in detention. As the kids left, Principal Wartz stood by looking speechless as the cafeteria workers stopped and stared at him after being upstaged by his own students. Needing to restore his authoritative image, he cleared his throat and uttered a statement to his employees who were still motionless. "Uh! Carry on, carry on" And the workers then resumed cleaning. Then, Principal Wartz went on his way towards his office, intending to finish his playtime in private.

As Arnold and Helga ran to class, Helga couldn't help but wonder how lucky she was. Her life with Arnold now in it, felt like a dream. Despite the slight strain she suffered at home on a daily basis, things were not so bad now. Actually, her future looked much more promising.

As for Arnold since finding his parents, he has been more carefree and cheerful when it came to dealing with his life's issues. Everything for him has come full circle and the last piece of the puzzle came together to restore the balance he so longed to find. His relationship with his parents was improving as they were getting to know each other, catching up on lost times. Things are very different for him now than it was a year ago. Although, Arnold's head is still in the clouds, the main reason for that now is due to the girl that is right by his side at the moment.

With a few yards left to their classroom, Arnold who was leading Helga suddenly stopped. He turned quickly to look at her. Helga stopped as well with her hands to her knees, trying to catch her breath. "What is it, Football head? Why are you… stopping all of a sudden?" she uttered not understanding his actions. Arnold displayed a lopsided smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze. He shyly glanced at her as he timidly said. "I…just wanted to pick up where we left off…you know… before we head to class" Helga stood there stunned for a second and then giggled a bit. "Oooo, you sly devil, you!" She teased as she closed the gap between them and kissed him softly on his lips. His lips were so warm, so gentle as it caressed her own. She couldn't help but sigh into it. This…was bliss. Every time they kissed she felt like melting. He was so contagious that she could feel his love invade her body. And for a second she shivered with delight at his affection.

Pulling away from him, she swooned as his eyes remained half-lidded; once again the two were off in la la land. It was not until the door of their classroom opened that they snapped out of their reverie and noticed Phoebe standing there shyly her hand to her mouth giggling at the couple's embarrassment. Once again they looked like deers caught in headlights for the second time today.

Helga redirected her focus on her friend, "Phoebe? What are you doing here?" Phoebe grew serious again as she explained her reason for leaving class. "Well, Mrs. Quagmire noticed you guys didn't come to class after lunch so she sent me to come and get you." Arnold and Helga both blushed upon hearing that they were obviously missed by their teacher and sure enough their classmates would notice it as well. Feeling bashful all of a sudden, Arnold stated. "I guess we should…uh… go in there, huh?" Helga nervously chuckled. "Heh, heh, yeah...I… guess we should."

Phoebe as usual smiled knowingly at Helga and all three made their way towards the classroom door when Helga stated. "Uhh you guys go on ahead I'll be there in a minute." Phoebe looked concerned for a second as well as Arnold. "You okay Helga?" Arnold asked. She smiled at him tenderly as she replied. "Don't worry Arnold, I'm fine." Arnold nodded and then with Phoebe made their way to the classroom. All the while, Helga stayed behind to think back on their kiss. She slowly brought her right hand to her lips touching them in amazement. She couldn't believe it. Her Arnold actually initiated a kiss before heading to class. She thought blissfully, _"That was so romantic."_ As the door of the classroom closed, she swooned again "Oh Arnold my Love" she uttered before fainting right there on spot. Minutes later, when she came to, she got up and entered the classroom as if nothing happened. She needed to get that out, it's been awhile since she's done that, she just couldn't help it. Like she thought earlier, this…was bliss.

As she sat at her desk she couldn't help but think how wonderful life seemed to be. And for the first time in a long while, a broad smile appeared on her face. She thought, _"Today was perfect. Nothing could go wrong."_

Three hours later, school was out and everyone was making their way home. As usual the gang still took the city bus. At the bus stop, everyone boarded on and sat in there accustomed seats, talking to each other about the events planned for the week. There were talks of hanging out at Gerald's Field playing baseball and a birthday party held by Miss Rhonda Wellington Lloyd to celebrate her 12th birthday. The children's chatting continued until the bus abruptly stopped, capturing everyone's attention. Gerald spoke first, "What's going on? Why are we stopping?" Helga stood up from her seat along with Arnold looking out of their windows. Following them was the rest of the gang. They all noticed that traffic was blocked in both directions. They moved to the front of the bus to see what was going on. All they saw were policemen, redirecting traffic into an adjacent street. Slowly traffic began to move and everyone on the bus made their way back to their seats. Gazing out of their windows as they passed the scene, some of them noticed paramedics crouched on the floor working on what looked to be a young girl.

Most of her body was blocked, but Helga noticed her small arm stretched out on the ground and slight traces of blonde hair. From the looks of it, it seems she got hit by a car, because the man driving the car was hysterical while he spoke to the cops as he explained to them what occurred. All the children in the bus gasped at the scene as the bus pulled away into another street to avoid the traffic. The sight was shocking and terrifying for them, so much so, that they couldn't formulate words to speak. Everyone was quiet for the entire bus ride. The girls were misty eyed as they looked on, and Sheena couldn't help but faint on Eugene's lap at the small amount of blood that was spritzed onto the street. Everyone was in deep thought, and the liveliness they once had was gone. Arnold instinctively held on to Helga strongly as she herself tried to put on a brave face. She happened to see the most out of everyone before the cops completely blocked their view. She tried to force her mind to think of something else. But unfortunately, her thoughts returned to that blonde haired girl lying there on the pavement. She couldn't help but feel terrible that something like this could've happened. She looked about her age.

Helga sat there in her seat, feeling slightly guilty for being on top of the world, and finally finding happiness in her life. Why shouldn't she be happy? She somewhat deserved it after having it rough all these years. Yes, she felt that what happened to that girl was unfortunate, but why did it affect her so much? She shook her head of such thoughts, and squeezed Arnold's hand to feel that he was there. He squeezed her hand back in return, and soon she was calm. For a day that seemed to be bright and full of happiness, it turned out to be quite gloomy and somber in the end. There goes that perfect day…

Once everyone got dropped off at their stops, they all went their separate ways. Everyone was too shocked to do anything let alone hang out. Even Arnold kept to himself as he walked Helga home. When they arrived at her stoop, Arnold merely looked into her eyes and slowly leaned in and affectionately kissed her. He held her tight for awhile, seeming like he wasn't willing to let her go. But slowly and surely he stepped back, and tried to put up his best smile as he quietly waved her goodbye. Helga forced a smile upon her face and fixed her eyes on her beloved as he walked away. She stood there… watching his retreating form, until she couldn't see him anymore. A sigh escaped her as she opened the door to her home… to see Miriam slouching on the dining room table with the blender in hand drooling against the table top. Finally she spoke. "Hey Miriam, how's it goin'?" The woman merely lifted her head up with a mail envelope sticking to her face and replied. "Oh..oh..hi Helga, How's..how was schoool?" she uttered in a slur.

Helga sighed not really wanting to go into details and said. "Fine, Miriam. Just...fine" She looked to her mother once again, making her way to the kitchen, she asked. "Is there anything to eat?" Her mother hardly heard her question as she plopped her head back down on the table, knocked out. Helga sighed in frustration. "Guess not!" She voiced disappointed. So, she went into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. Luckily, this time her mother bought groceries so she won't be starving tonight.

Disheartened, Helga headed upstairs with her food and some snacks for later. Opening the door to her room, she sat on her bed still deep in thought about the accident she saw. Overwhelmed by the sight, she couldn't help but shed a tear for that girl that lied there. This girl could've been her or anyone in her school. No…she didn't want to dwell on this…it's too depressing. She grabbed her sandwich and began to eat. She looked at her pink notebook close by, but she couldn't compel herself to write in it. Her mood was too somber. Besides, she was too exhausted to stay awake to write in it anyway and homework was also out of the question. "_Maybe a nap will make me feel better!" _She thought as she sunk into her bed, wanting this sad feeling to go away. "I hope she's okay" She whispered into thin air and softly closed her eyes as she fell into a calm slumber.

Waking up four hours later, Helga looked to her clock to see that it was 9:30 at night. "Whoa I must've been really exhausted!" she exclaimed as she sat up on her bed, staring into the darkness. With a thirst for water, Helga made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She noticed Big Bob sitting on his chair as usual watching TV. She bid him 'hello' and he responded with a mumble, not bothering to turn his head away from the TV for a moment. "Hey Olga"

She didn't even bother to correct him and moved on to the kitchen as planned, getting her glass of water. As she headed out of the kitchen to get back to her room, she heard this on the television. "We are interrupting this schedule program to deliver this breaking news." Big Bob then whined. "Can you believe these bozos from the TV news station? Interrupting my program to deliver some stinkin' news that probably will be repeated once again at 10:00pm when the official news casting is scheduled. Those darn imbeciles."

Still standing near the stairs, Helga then heard a slight shuffle not too far from her and noticed Miriam, coming from the trophy room and entering the living room to sit alongside Bob. They tend to do that late at night when she's asleep, but seeing that she slept through the day and was unable to return to sleep right away, she made note of that. She returned her attention back to the TV.

The reporter was standing in front of Hillwood General Hospital giving an overview of what was going on. "We are standing here at Hillwood General Hospital to give you an update on the condition of a young girl who got hit by a car earlier this afternoon between Vine St and 38th Av. It seems that the young girl, age 11, has suffered multiple severe injuries and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. The driver responsible has been taken into custody for further questioning and his identity at this moment will not be released. Excuse me for a moment ladies and gentlemen, but we just received breaking news on this story… " The news reporter paused for a moment and seemed to be receiving an update on his ear piece. Helga stood there watching as the news unfolded. Her mind still concerned for the girl she saw earlier.

The reporter spoke again seconds later. "It seems that the hospital is in the forefront of a scandal involving the young girl who suffered the accident. According to a reliable source, the parents of the girl in question The Starski's have demanded an investigation to be conducted on Hillwood General Hospital. It seems that their daughter identified as Gloria Starski, based on recent blood testing performed at this hospital indicated that her DNA did not match that of her parents. The hospital has assured that they have triple checked this new finding and are aiming to get to the bottom of this debacle. Therefore, she is not, I repeat, not biologically related to them. The records show that the girl's mother gave birth to a child in this very same hospital eleven years ago, and is searching for answers concerning this issue. This may look like a case of babies switched at birth. But for now nothing is conclusive." The reporter pressed his earpiece closer to his ear as he received more news. At the same time the phone began to ring. Bob urged Miriam to go pick it up in the kitchen. As Miriam headed there she passed Helga. "Hey Helga, didn't see you there" she said hurriedly as she walked by before entering the kitchen. Helga's eyes narrowed as she lowly replied. "Big surprise, you never do!"

But then the reporter continued to speak once more, bringing Helga's attention back to the television, "An insider on this story has informed me that at this moment the hospital is attempting to contact the possible real parents of this young girl. They…may be her only hope in saving her life. Back to you, John!"

As the news moved on to another subject, Helga made her way back towards the stairs her glass of water still in hand. But something she heard made her halt to a stop… Miriam's voice. "What? I don't understand…"

Helga stood in the hallway and looked to the entryway of the kitchen. She heard how Miriam's voice trembled as she spoke on the phone. She's never heard her mother being so emotional like that before. "I can't believe this...I just can't…." Her mom said as she began to weep. Helga then heard footsteps, it was her father. He entered the kitchen wanting to know what all the commotion was about. "Miriam…Miriam..what the heck are you blubbering for?" But she just kept crying nonstop as she held the phone out to him. Big Bob took the phone from her and spoke into it, demanding the person to tell him what was going on that made his wife so upset. Well…definitely not in that context. You know how he is! Helga moved closer to hear better. Then she heard Bob's huge outburst. "WHAT? What do you mean Helga may not be my daughter? You better not be joking!" Upon hearing this news, Helga's hand started to tremble as she held on to the glass of water. Water began to spill out of the glass as it wavered, hitting the floor in tiny splats. Bob's voice resonated through the kitchen and into the hallway, where Helga stood. "OF COURSE I JUST WATCHED THE NEWS! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'M GONNA BELIEVE EVERYTHING THESE MORONS SAY." he blasted with fury setting in his eyes.

At that moment, Helga's eyes widened as she recalled what she just heard the reporter on the news mention. Helga lowly muttered, "I can't believe this..."

Big Bob's face looked like it was about to steam when he shouted "WELL YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM MY LAWYERS ABOUT THIS!" Then he slammed the phone back on the receiver. His chest was heaving from all the rage he had. He felt like he was going to break something or maybe ring the neck of the person he spoke to. Miriam somewhat calm now took to her task to calm her husband's frenzied behavior, when she heard the sound of glass breaking. At that very moment, Bob and Miriam turned their gazes to the kitchen door where facing them… was Helga. Her eyes were glistened with tears unshed, and they involuntarily pulsated, threatening them out. Her hands trembled at her sides, and her body stood stiff as she stood near the kitchen door, unyielding.

With concern on her face, Miriam made an attempt to approach her by taking a step forward in her direction, but Helga cringed and stepped back. Miriam tried again to approach her daughter as she spoke, "Helga, we…" But Helga flinched at the sound of her name and took another step back. Her eyes now were unable to hold the amount of tears they contained so they just overflowed her face without a limit to stop. But still not a word, not a noise came out of her mouth. Feeling small stings at her feet, Helga looked down and noticed little prickles of blood coming out from the small shards of glass that managed to puncture her skin. Her focus stayed on her feet for awhile, not noticing her mom or dad calling for her. They didn't know what to say or do for the girl. Getting through to her seemed hopeless. Miriam began to weep again asking Bob what they should do. They were afraid of losing her, but what if that girl in the hospital was their real daughter?

As Miriam wept in Bob's embrace, he couldn't help but look to Helga with regret. He watched her stand there, watching her feet, emotionless, as if she was in a state of unconsciousness. The site of her forced out a feeling of helplessness in him. It made his lips quiver as tears began to flow on his face. He lowly uttered to her, hoping she would hear him. "I'm…sorry Helga, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" he apologized over and over, hoping that somehow, his words would pierce through to her. He held on tight to his wife, wishing he could hold on to his daughter as well, but he was afraid…afraid of how she might react. He knew well that he wasn't apologizing for the news or what happened long ago in that hospital. He was apologizing for taking for granted all those years he had not treasured her. He was apologizing for not trying to be a real father to her. He was apologizing for not being able to relate to her even now that she is in this state. What could he do or what could he say to soften the pain? Nothing! It wouldn't make a difference to tell her it's okay, because…it's not. Enraptured in his thoughts he was brought out of it when he heard a large THUMP sound. Looking in her direction once again, he saw Helga collapsed on the floor. It seemed that the news had finally sunk in and as a result she fainted. Bob quickly went to her and gathered her up in his arms, remembering the only time he ever held her like this with affection…the day she came home as an infant. More tears flowed from his face in remembering that day. It seemed so long ago, that the feelings of it were estranged to him. He climbed the stairs with Miriam behind him, worry overwhelming her face. She whispered to her husband. "B, what do we do? What do we do?" He looked to her over his shoulder, his brows furrowed in agony as he replied. "I don't know Miriam…I just…don't…know" They quickly brought her to her room and laid her to rest on her bed. Miriam quickly tended to her minor wounds, but felt guilty at being unable to tend to the biggest one of all. Upon finishing, she caressed daughter's sleeping face and kissed her on the forehead. _"I wish…"_ But Miriam was stumped; she didn't know what to say, because there was so much to be said about what she should have done, but now it seemed too late. But she tried again, _"I wish…I was a better mother to you Helga. I hope you can forgive me, but know that I always…always loved you!" _ She caressed her hair, clearing some strands out of her face and sat by the bed with her husband nearby.

They sat there watching her for a few minutes in contemplation, before they exited her room. They spoke outside her door momentarily before deciding to head to the hospital to get tested to see if they were indeed that girl's parents, and possible bone marrow donors for her. On the way they planned to inform Olga of the news and have her come down from Alaska to get tested as well. But before they left they called on Phoebe's mom, Reba, to come and watch over Helga….now…their alleged daughter.

_**(A/N: I guess you can say this is a 'what if' type of fic! I had the concept for this story for awhile after hearing a case like this in Brazil last year, and I wanted to try it. I'm not sure how this subject would be received in HA fiction, but I'll try and see how it goes! BTW, I trust… you remember Gloria. You know the better version of Helga that was in Helga's dream when she thought she didn't exist. Yep! that's her. As for the quote about change in the summary that's by Price Pritchett. Anyway, I hope you liked it and I would appreciate your review, Thanks! :D)**_


	2. Crippled Bird

_**Changing Impressions**_

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><p>In the middle of the night, Helga woke up with a throbbing headache. She looked around the room, her eyes unfocused, and soon realized that she was in her bedroom. She wondered, "How did I…" And that's when it hit her. All the events of the day, she began to recall. She held up her small balled up hands to her throbbing head. Too much! It was still too much to contain. Trying to keep her emotions from raging, Helga lied there on her bed, motionless, as she listened to the overpowering sound of her beating heart. It sped every so often as she thought of her father voicing repeatedly these words to her<p>

"_You are not my daughter"_ The more she heard his gruff voice saying this, the more her body stiffened as she fought back her tears. She wanted to be strong, but knowing this revelation was insufferable. She felt so weak and wounded that she sunk her face back into her pillow and began to cry. "Why?" she croaked as she tried to make sense of things. "Haven't I suffered enough?" she whispered into thin air. But who was she kidding? No answer would be given. She was to suffer this… alone.

As she lied on her bed, Helga couldn't understand why this news hurt her more than she thought it should. She began to question it. "Why does it hurt so much? I mean…they hardly knew I was alive most of the time." She uttered as she pulled herself up to sit, her feet now touching the floor. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her eyes looked to her window staring at the shadows of tree branches, darkened by the absence of the sun. "Pft, I guess despite all that I was still hoping that one day…one day they would realize the error in their ways and they would change. Ha! So much for that." She whispered with bitterness.

Helga realized that despite how much she openly claimed she despised her family, she couldn't help but admit that…she still loved them with faults and all. Heaving a heavy sigh, Helga recalled the scarce and few good moments she shared with them. She thought about Thanksgiving Day two years ago, where they fussed over her when she returned after having run off into the streets on their so called Thanksgiving dinner. Or the time when she and her sister shared a tender moment after she admitted to changing her grades or the road trip where she and her mother bonded learning new things about one another. Her mouth faintly curved upwards as she also recalled the 'quantity time' her father forced her into, which ended up with both her and her father laughing their butts off, ridiculing _the Rats play_. She chuckled bitterly at the memory of it.

"What's the point? It's not like they ever wanted me anyway." She uttered, using the sleeve of her nightgown to wipe the tears that flowed from her eyes. The memories although small yet still significant to her, dimmed the glimmer of hope she had in her ever being truly accepted and loved by them. But still, Helga realized that despite their insecurities and treatment of her, she cared more about these people than she knew she would… she loved them dearly. She sighed, shaking her head. "Helga ol'girl, you sure are one big softie."

Although, the good times she experienced recently shined some little light of hope in her little world, life for the most part was harsh and cruel. She had to face reality at an early age, having to survive on her own since the age of three, being passed over by an overachiever, and never receiving the attention and affection of her parents she so desperately wanted. No their love was not perfect, it was painful to the point that she turned to the only person who often showed it to her unconditionally…Arnold.

At the thought of his name her heart ached. With shock returning to her eyes she whispered, "What…what will he think of me? Everything, my life, who I am, has all been a lie!"

She cringed at the fact that everything from this day on will change. Even her relationship with those around her will change, especially with Arnold. The weight of this news to her now seems unbearable to the point she wished she didn't exist. Time can heal all wounds they say, but right now as time passes by the hurt only deepens. It is possible to say that if she thought she was emotionally scarred before this happened, that now this wound will be so deep that it may never fully heal.

Sitting on her bed as still as can be she stifled another sob as her mind shifted endlessly to what if's or what may come. Moments passed until she heard some shuffling outside of her door. She gasped as she saw through the bottom slit of her door a shadow standing behind it.

Instantly she thought, _"I can't face them now. Not now!" _As her eyes constantly shifted left to right with worry._ "What will I say? What will they do?" _ She heard the doorknob jiggle as if someone grabbed it. Quickly, lying back on her bed she pulled the covers over her head. When the doorknob turned, Helga squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She stayed still as it creaked open.

Trying to look through the sheets, Helga saw the figure of a woman entering her room. Squinting her eyes, she noticed by the shape of the figure that it wasn't her mom. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out who it was. Still feinting sleep, Helga stayed tucked under the covers, waiting for the figure to leave the room_._ But instead the figure loomed over her. As it approached the foot of her bed she heard a voice. Helga's ears perked up to listen in.

"_Poor thing, what a day she must have had." _The voice whispered. Hearing that come from what she figured was Phoebe's mom, forced Helga to block out any further sound. She didn't need this. She didn't want pity. She just wanted things to go back to the way they were. But things have changed. And soon enough people will look at her differently, and treat her differently now that the truth is out. She definitely didn't want that!

Phoebe's mom, Reba, took a moment to gaze at Helga's sleeping figure, she sighed feeling overwhelmed when she heard this news. It's so unfortunate considering how transformed Helga was, how carefree she looked, when she returned from her class trip only a year ago. Reba had hoped that this improvement in her opening up would last, but this news is sure to bring her down now. Reba pondered on how it will affect her relationship with Phoebe. The girls are so close that whatever affects Helga affects Phoebe as well. Even she is worried on how they will both cope with this news. Although, Helga tries to mask her kind nature, Reba knows just how much she cares for her daughter and the same can be said for her daughter as well. They were and are still inseparable. But will this news create a wedge between them? She hoped not.

She sighed once again as she made her way back to the door, her hand softly enclosing around the doorknob. She looked back one more time on Helga's sleeping figure_. _Pulling the door open, Reba whispered sullenly before softly closing it shut._ "Things will never be the same again."_ In hearing those words, Helga clenched her fists on the sheets and tightly shut her eyes, wishing she hadn't. But it was too late, that woman's words made it all the more real. Helga realized that her world was crumbling down on her piece…by…piece.

Taking a few minutes to see if the Reba was gone, Helga swiftly got up, grabbed her robe and headed to her window. "I can't stay here anymore" she whispered sadly. She could not take having to stay in this house full of memories any longer. This wasn't her life anymore. She was afraid of what may happen if she stayed. So she carefully lifted up her window, trying not to make a noise. She perched herself on the window sill reaching for the branch nearby. Once she grabbed it, she made her way down the tree with caution, trying to avoid making noise. With her sights set on getting out of there, Helga took to the streets with no destination in mind. She just… needed some air, she needed to think! Walking the streets of Hillwood alone, she focused her mind on anything else but of what was revealed to her mere hours before. Marching on, her gaze to the floor, Helga's feet led her right near an alley next to a red brick house. She looked up with hope, but saw that all the lights were closed. "Why would they be awake? It's one o'clock in the stinkin' morning." She uttered aloud as she watch attentively the boarding house for any signs of movement.

Looking around she saw that the coast was clear, so she made her way up to the fire escape. When she reached the top she tiptoed across the rooftop to her beloved's window. Peering into his skylight window, she noticed her flaxen haired angel crisply tucked into his bed, sleeping soundly. She smiled for a moment, remembering their escapade from earlier that day, but the smile went away as quickly as it came. She sighed still looking at his sleeping form from up above and she murmured, "Oh Arnold, what am I to do? I don't know where or who to turn to from this point on. I do not wish to burden you with my life's problem. That was a promise I made to myself as we left the jungles of San Lorenzo. For years you have carried everyone's burden besides your own, but my promise to you is not bring you back into that world again. But I need to get this off my chest somehow and even though you're sound asleep I know you can still bring me the comfort that I yearn for. Just being near you gives me that."

Helga gathered a deep breath before she spoke again, still looking onto Arnold's sleeping figure. "My life has been a lie and I feel…I feel…nothing." Helga lowered her gaze to the floor and slid her hands down the window fleetingly but it created a brief squeaky sound. Wrapped up in her emotions she hadn't noticed and continued. "I'm totally numb and dead inside. I know you have said to me time and time again that if I needed to talk that I could always come to you. And I truly wish I could, but I just don't think I can? Life has been so…perfect for you and I don't want to dampen that with my problems." She scrunched herself down near the skylight and tucked her legs to her chest. She placed her head on her knees, and her hair cascaded off onto one side of her leg, her eyes facing away from his window. She sat there gloomily, looking to nothing in particular on the roof and continued speaking.

Little did she know, Arnold heard the squeaky sound coming from his window and it brought him out of his sleep. Checking to see what was going on, he climbed his ladder and looked through the window to see Helga sitting on his rooftop. Wondering what she was doing there at this time of night, he quietly opened the skylight window, his face filled with concern. But regardless of why she was there a smile was already appearing on his face, so he perched himself against the window sill looking to her lovingly as he quietly listened in as she spoke. But his smile lessened as he heard the sadness in her voice.

Unaware of Arnold's presence, Helga softly uttered. "You know Arnold, I found out something today. I guess you can say it's pretty awful. It's funny how life can be sometimes. For awhile you're in a rut, and then things change for the better only to be slammed right back into that rut, yet again. Hmph, I'm sure you felt this way when you wondered about the fate of your parents. But I always felt this way. I always felt that I deserved to be punished with parents like mine or you never noticing me that is until you did." She chuckled for a moment and Arnold grinned, but his face turned serious as he wondered where this was going. Helga continued in a heartbreaking tone. "My thought process started to change when you said you loved me. I looked at everything differently. You could say I was hopeful for my future. I guess you always gave me that, but…having you with me made it more of a possibility. I felt that if I can have you then…what's to say that everything else would eventually work themselves out as well. But that way of thinking was short-lived when I found out a few hours ago that…I was…switched at birth."

Upon uttering those last few words, Helga heard a gasp from behind her. In shock and fear she quickly lifted her head up and stood, stepping back from the figure sitting on the window sill. "A-Arnold!" she exclaimed in alarm of his presence. Arnold took her moment of shock to fully come out onto the roof. With a look of concern, Arnold lowly muttered. "Helga? Is… that true?" Helga laughed nervously, "Heh, heh, I was, uh just…just rambling Arnold. You know me…" she said shrugging her shoulders trying to act casual.

Arnold stepped forward reaching out his hand to touch her. But Helga slowly stepped back away from his reach. He narrowed his eyes and asked again. "Helga…what you said did not sound like rambling. I know you; you wouldn't joke about something like that. Tell me…is it?" Helga looked into his pleading face but looked away from his intense gaze. She couldn't take it. She was afraid. He spoke once more, "Helga please…talk to me!" he urge her. He stepped forward and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. Helga stood quiet for a moment looking at the interesting rooftop floor. He squeezed her hand once more, trying get her attention. She sighed, surrendering. "Yes, Arnold… it's true." She said somberly. Arnold looked confused. "How?"

Helga with mixed emotions arising in her, replied. "Well Football head, it's simple the nurses put the wrong babies in the wrong cribs, and they handed the wrong babies to the wrong parents, so therefore the terms they used is switched at birth." Arnold glared at her for a moment. Helga sighed. "Sorry" she said noticing his intense glare.

Arnold looked to the ground pensively. He had no idea what was going on, but he felt he needed to do something and wanted to help. He wanted to be there for her, and comfort her as she stood there before him her face void of expression. He reached out and hugged her, but she released herself from his grasp.

Shaking her head with eyes downcast, Helga softly uttered. "No Arnold…you can't make it better. You just…can't." Arnold feeling helpless, his face full of pain and worry, insisted. "Helga, I know that there's nothing I can do to change what happened to you, but….please don't shut me out." He voiced out heartbreakingly. Helga was feeling overwhelmed. The last thing she needed was for someone to feel sorry for her, let alone her beloved Arnold. "I don't need your pity Arnold." She said with slight anger. Clenching her fists at her sides and a fierce glare. "I…don't need that." she finished in a whisper.

Once again Helga's emotions were fluctuating at the truth she now must face. And facing Arnold with this news made her feel worse, so she turned away from him as tears poured down her face once again. Instantly Arnold closed in on her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He leaned his head on her shoulder as he embraced her caringly. Overcome with sadness she put both hands to her face and began to sob relentlessly. She swiftly turned around and embraced him back. "Oh Arnold, what is happening to me?" she said as she tightly clung to the back of his shirt while releasing the heavy emotions she held back. She cried on his shoulder for a while as he rocked her gently, brushing her soft hair with his fingers. As he focused on Helga, Arnold's mind was still adjusting to the news; he couldn't put forth the right words to comfort her.

Arnold the solver of problems was stumped. "Shhhh, Helga…I'm here, I'm here" Was all he could come up with. He needed to do something, but what? For once he didn't know!

Helga quieted down after a few minutes and Arnold slightly pulled away from her to look at her. He carefully wiped away her tears tenderly with his thumbs and offered her a small smile. Helga, although, still feeling troubled, couldn't help but feel soothed by this kind gesture. His smile could always make her feel warm and safe. She tried to put up her best smile as she spoke to her beloved. "Thanks Arnold" was all that she could say as she returned to his embrace. A few moments had passed when Arnold felt Helga begin to slump on him.

He realized that Helga was exhausted and decided to bring her into his room. "Um…Helga, you must be tired. Why don't you rest a little bit, and we'll talk about this tomorrow." She nodded as he led her to his window and into his room. He placed her on his bed and lied her down on it, tucking her in. He knelt down by his bed and caressed her cheek before placing a loving kiss on her forehead before heading to his couch. Grabbing a pillow and a blanket from his closet, he prepared the couch to sleep on, but was interrupted by Helga's voice. "Arnold?" He stopped and turned to look at her. "Yes, Helga?"

Helga shifted slightly on the bed coming on to her elbow as she uttered. "Um…can you…uh..can you stay...with me?" Arnold's eyes widen, and his face blushed but since it was dark Helga was unable to see his reaction. Arnold struggled with what to do. He had never slept with a girl on the same bed before. He began to worry, looking to his bedroom door, then to Helga, then back to his couch in contemplation. His mind was flurried with different scenarios that could possibly end bad. At that moment, he felt nervous and started to shift his weight from one foot to another. His forehead creased greatly as he pondered what to do. But when he looked at her on his bed with the moonlight casting its glow on her face, her eyes glossy with tears threatening to fall and filled with fear. He realized that her walls were collapsing in on her. That look reminded him of the Helga he saw standing in the rain in front of his preschool, feeling lost and lonely. And that's what sealed his fate.

His intent then as it is now is to shine a ray of hope for her, no matter what. "Um…Sure..Helga" He uttered as he cautiously marched towards the bed and climbed it while she scooted further to the other side. Arnold slowly reclined down on his back as he lay beside her. He stayed stiff for a moment, but gradually relaxed when he felt her grab his hand, giving it a squeeze. He released a breath that he withheld, but his eyes remained strictly to the ceiling. Helga trying to put him at ease still held on to his hand. She softly whispered to him, "Goodnight Arnold" before closing her eyes, succumbing to sleep. Arnold turned his head to her, and he gently squeezed her hand back in return. "Goodnight Helga" he lowly whispered as he watched her descent into slumber. Taking in her peaceful face, Arnold's thought wandered. _"Helga never had it easy, did she? And for this to have happened when she was finally opening up and being herself seemed so unfair." _He furrowed his eyebrows. "H_ow will she cope with all this? What will happen to her?" _That's the question that kept recurring over and over in his mind as he tried to think of what to do to help. But one thing he knew for sure was that he would be there for her no matter what. Growing tired, Arnold closed his eyes on the sleeping figure of Helga as he drifted into sleep. And the night went on…

_**(A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you liked the chapter. As for the title for this chapter it is from a Dolly Parton song called 'crippled bird'. I saw a contemporary dance performance of this song at an event and thought the lyrics really suited how Helga would feel at that moment. So that's where my inspiration for this chapter came from. On another note, I do want to thank again those who reviewed and favorited this story and I hope you stay tuned for what's to come. Let me know what you think…so please review! ;) See ya!**_


	3. Circus Fanfare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold...but I know who does! You do too!**

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><p>As night transitioned into day, and the shadows that once surrounded land and sky has passed, glistening for all to see was the golden sun. The appearance of dawn created a new beginning from what was. A brand new day for a brand new start.<p>

As the sun reflected its rays through the skylight, it journeyed slowly across the room to land on the innocent face of a young blonde girl. Its warmth spread across her face and eased her out of her sleep. Her eyes blinked open to notice her surroundings. As she surveyed the room, she gathered her breath in shock, and quickly turned over to see Arnold… sleeping soundly next to her. She couldn't believe it! She was in his bed….The WHOLE night.

She thought, _"If I were not lying down, I would sooo faint! Oh Arnold, how I often dreamed to be lying down next to you, as we marched into the land of dreams, side by side, hand in hand. You… the protector of my nocturnal lapse, the day to my night, the angel who brings me out from the depths of obscurity into a new morn, haaaaah" _she swooned for a moment, reveling at the situation she woke up in.

She looked to him once more, and recalled the tenderness and care he showed her as she divulged her world shattering news. His mere presence and concern had softened the pain of the struggled anguish she faced of not knowing her fate. But yet, her hope for better days still seemed distant. Not wanting to dampen the decent mood she woke up in, she decided to focus on the boy of her dreams, sleeping listlessly at this moment. An amount of excitement overcame her as she watched his slackened mouth drawing breath and expelling it out in light puffs. She observed his unruly hair being held down by gravity and light sweat, and his cute little nose expanding and contracting air. Gradually, a mischievous smile came to her face.

Eyeing a feather quill nearby she recalled he obtained in San Lorenzo, Helga took the object and approached his nose. Her shoulders slightly heaved as she giggled lowly in anticipation. She calmed herself as she approached his nose. Inserting the tip of the feather in the opening, she tickled the light hairs of his nose briskly. She watched his reaction with giddiness as she repeated the action. "Mmmm" he mumbled irritably not knowing what was interrupting his peaceful sleep. Feeling the tingling itch in his nose, Arnold started to wiggle it from side to side to drive the sensation away and avoid awakening. Noticing his reaction, with one hand covering her mouth, Helga giggled, trying to contain bursting in laughter. She continued to tickle his nose.

Attempting to remove the itch that ails him, Arnold with his eyes still shut, batted his hand aimlessly from his face smacking himself in the process in attempt to chase away the non-existent fly he assumed had entered his room. He then rubbed his nose to tame the itch it created as it left. A small giggle escaped Helga's lips once again at the spectacle that was Arnold. A mere form of entertainment to lighten her spirits. _"I'm sure Arnold won't mind." _Helga thought as she continued teasing her boyfriend for her pure enjoyment. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut to avoid the rays of light beginning to seep through his eyelids as the itch grew more irritatingly annoying.. "Mmm, no" he mumbled fighting for his sleep. Helga giggled once again and her smile grew more and more at the display of her beloved. This was her escape, the hope of not having to face the troubles awaiting her at home. She hoped she would never have to deal with the truth, unfortunately she will learn that not everything is avoidable. Arnold has his life to live as well. At that thought she felt alone. Helga suddenly stopped the game she incited. She didn't want to feel alone. So she called to Arnold.

Softly she uttered his name. "Arnold" Arnold stirred for a moment, then went back to sleep again. She called him once more. "Arnold" but he turned over to the other side, mumbling inarticulately, "Just…afew, minutes..mom"

Helga fully sat up, uttering loudly. "Gee, Football Head, I always thought of you as a morning person!" she exclaimed. Hearing her voice loud and clear, made Arnold wake up abruptly, he jerked up on his bed. The effects of his springing up rendered both occupants unsteady for a moment. Arnold slightly dazed shouted, "Helga!" "How?"..when?"..how?"

Helga placed her hand on his shoulder to calm him down and half-smiled. "Take a breather, Arnold" she continued. "I'm sure you remember last night?"

"Last….night?" Arnold replied still bewildered. He pondered for a moment, catching his breath. Then it dawned on him "Oh….yeaahh…. last night" Arnold looked somewhat sorrowfully to Helga, but soon his disposition changed, as he remembered her not wanting pity from him. So he offered her a smile instead and moved to change the subject. "So….how'd you..uh..sleep?"

Rubbing her hand up and down her arm, Helga bit her lip and responded meekly. "Um.. Good..Arnold ..heh,heh" She concluded with a nervous laugh. Lost on a topic to take on next, Arnold eyed her for a second, noticing for the first time since last night that Helga was wearing a sleeveless pink flowy nightgown. He took in the fact that her hair was loose, cascading over her shoulder, covering one side of her face reminiscent of Cecile. He always loved that look. It made her mysterious as if she was not mysterious enough to begin with. But this character made her much more demure and revealing. Her unveiled blue eye gleamed like it did back on that fateful Valentine's Day. The sun shone on her hair, making it look like spun gold. She looked radiant. Like the beacon of light that lights his soul. He noticed the slight blush creeping its way on her cheeks as she caught his constant gaze. Her eyelashes fluttered closed as she set her eyes downcast shyly from the unwavering attention she was receiving. She bit her bottom lip nervously and contemplated what his thoughts were at this moment.

All those little cues made him find her irresistible. It drew him in. His mind went blank for a moment and his instincts took over. Arnold pulled himself forward and towards her without restraint. Helga noticing a shift on the bed lifted her eyes to see Arnold approaching her with an intense stare,and a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His confidence increasing by the second the closer he came. His set target…Helga's pink pouty lips.

Since San Lorenzo, Arnold noticed a lot of changes going on in him not just emotional, but physical as well. The beginnings of puberty. He noticed the buds of physical development occurring in him and his friends. Voices were changing, heights were increasing, curves were appearing, and so much more he rather not delve into. Just sitting through a class of it was torture enough!

He began to experience emotional urges he had never known he possessed, which seemed strange. There were things he never imagined he would think to do that came to surface like kissing and not just chaste kisses on a girl's cheek or hand….noooo... more like French kissing, which he admits is rather…Nice. Curiosity has come a knocking on his door, yet he is determined to keep it at bay for as long as possible. He knows his limits and rather not explore too much and suffer the consequences. A subject which his father has distanced himself from and had strictly relinquished it to his Grandpa to dictate to him which further increased his embarrassment, since he used him and Helga constantly as examples.

As Arnold approached, Helga began rubbing her left arm as Goosebumps surfaced on her skin. His emerald eyes paralyzing her to her spot. _"Is he thinking, what I think he's thinking"_ she thought as her eyes widened when she noticed the slight tilting of his head at an angle. Time seemed to have slowed down a bit for Helga because the anticipation felt excruciatingly extended. But as Arnold closed his eyes, Helga squealed inside her head and resigned to close the gap, inching herself closer to him until their lips collided awkwardly. Helga suddenly took the reins and brought Arnold much closer to her as she searched to remove the dull ache she felt a moment ago. One hand slid from his side to caress her waist and the other glided from the side of her neck into her golden hair. Subconsciously, his fingers massaged her scalp as his lips caressed her lips softly, her eyes opened wide in surprise. The bewitching sensation of his fingers hit a sensitive spot that made Helga gasp, thereby allowing Arnold's tongue to slide into her mouth. Helga felt somewhat stunned at Arnold's sudden boldness. Something that has been occurring a lot from him lately. It practically made her forget all her troubles. So she closed her eyes once more, returning the fierceness of her kiss to him. _"I guess it's kinda working"_ She thought as her focus turned solely to him.

Sparks were flying, emotions were running high, young heartbeats were thrumming. This was more than the both of them; this love, this intensity and passion rooted from a fated encounter in the rain on a cloudy morning nine years ago. It's an incomprehensible element that is perplexed in nature.

Searching for air, they both slowly pulled away from one another. Gaping at each other, wide-eyed, indescribably satisfied and panting they simultaneously whispered, "Wow!"

As the rush began to dimmer, Arnold rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he stuttered. "_Uh, I ,er…um..that was uh_..." he huffed in frustration at his lack of dialogue. The boldness dissipated… and his confidence was wavering. The awkward shy boy was returning once again and before Arnold could form a coherent sentence, he heard a voice calling him as they climbed up the stairs.

"Hey there Shortman …are you up?" As a reaction Helga the quick thinker she is threw a blanket over herself balling up into a fetal position, acting as a makeshift pillow. Arnold looked to her quizzically for a moment, but then realized his predicament and made a dash for his door before his grandpa made it up the stairs. With quick thumping footsteps, which his grandpa heard, Arnold pried his door open and poked his head out and spoke, freezing his Grandpa's climb midway up the stairs. "Uh..Yeah.. Grandpa. I'm up"

He pulled off an awkward grin, trying hard to remain calm as he held the door close to his body, barring view of his room. "Just got up now actually." He said his voice changing pitch due to puberty's appearance.

Phil spoke with a suspicious look on his face at Arnold's behavior. "Well, Pookie and your mom are preparing breakfast downstairs, when you're ready just head down and they'll fix ya a plate. Let's just hope it's not raspberry pancake. Cuz I don't intend to stay in my 'office' all day!" he grumbled the last part shaking his head fleetingly as he headed back down the stairs. Arnold chuckled at his grandpa. _"He'll never change" He thought._ Arnold replied. "I'll be down as soon as I can, Grandpa"

Phil threw his grandson a brief wave of his hand in return, but sensing his breakfast being tampered with he yelled "Kokoshka, get your pesky hands off my breakfast this instant"

Arnold heard Kokoshka's voice resonate from the kitchen to his room. "Heh, heh, heh, I waz jus' guarding it from Mr. Potts, Grandpa."

He also heard Mr. Potts angry rebuttal "Why you slimy little weasel…" as kitchen utensils clattered on a plate. From the sound of it, Arnold could picture what was going in the kitchen. Mr. Potts was getting up from his chair to get to the jobless, foreign man. His father along with Mr. Hyuhn were holding the short stout man back from choking the guy. Suzie's voice could be heard, a small murmur trying to appease the situation along with Stella as everyone else began to raise their voices, in an attempt to control the situation. Gertie can be heard running throughout the first floor yelling, "Off with his head…" repeatedly, reenacting the French revolution.

Grandpa Phil reaching the kitchen door yelling sternly, "Well get your grubby hands off my plate then… and for the millionth time I'm not your Grandpa! So stop calling me that" The bickering could still be heard as Arnold closed his door. He lowered his shaking head and chuckled lightly at his family's antics. But when he turned to look at Helga, the smile that was on his face faltered. Helga's face looked neutral like she was struggling to hold herself together. Her eyes were downcast as if she was contemplating something. Her fists were balled up on the blanket she had wrapped herself on to a moment ago. Arnold realized then that her mind had returned to her unfortunate circumstances with her family after witnessing the sounds of his strange but loving family. He knew her well, too well by now not to know what was going on through her mind.

He attempted to speak, but she beat him to the punch. "It's…okay Arnold. You don't have to say anything." She sighed, and looked up at him. Her smile was forced and incomplete as she uttered sincerely. "I'm really happy that…you're happy, Arnold. You really do deserve it."

Arnold strode quickly from the door unto his bed and grabbed Helga's hands squeezing them lightly. "You deserve to be happy too, Helga." He emphatically exclaimed, feeling frustrated at her constant misfortunes. From the depths of his soul, he desperately wished that there was something he could do to just….fix the problems she had to face. But her problems have always been beyond his capabilities. All he knew was to just be there for her to support her. He quickly shut his eyes tightly unable to bear the hollow look that just creeped into her eyes. He was slowly losing the girl who returned from San Lorenzo with such vigor and life. The girl who made him believe in his capabilities to find his long lost parents. His mind spiraled as his hands reached out and touched her cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the ever streaming tears with a simple brush. He was torn. And he wanted her to know it. As her gaze lifted up from the warmth of his loving hands making contact with her cheeks, she noticed he had tears of his own spilling over his lower eyelids as he blinked them away. She drew in a shaky breath and exhaled, "Oh Arnold" she understood what that meant. Her pain was also his. So she lunged forward to embrace him. And for a few minutes they lingered, and comforted each other. Arnold slowly pulled himself away and smiled. He softly spoke, "I will always be here if you need me Helga. No matter the day or the time, if you ever need me I'll be here." Helga smiled at that as she embraced him once more. "Thank You!"

Arnold prepared himself to go down for breakfast. He gave Helga some of his old clothes so she wouldn't have to walk the streets towards her home in her nightgown. The plan was for him to go downstairs and eat his breakfast as she prepared herself in his room. Then Helga would exit back through the fire escape and meet him in the corner alley so he could walk her home. So far it seemed as if no one had a clue that Helga was upstairs. Everyone sat at the breakfast table chattering as if the arguments that had occurred earlier never happened. Arnold shook his head and smiled at his family's behavior. In the end they always get along. Then his mind reverted back to Helga, and that's when he took this cue to excuse himself from the table. As he pushed his chair to the table, he couldn't help noticing his grandpa sending him a few winks before he left. Arnold frowned slightly and rolled his eyes but didn't think too much of it. _"I wonder why Grandpa was doing that?" _He thought as he walked out the kitchen.

Stepping out of his house, Arnold retrieved his stash of two folded pancakes and an egg sausage for Helga he managed wrap up in his napkin. He was discreet when he transferred the food off his plate to his napkin underneath the table every now and then, while everyone was distracted. He grinned as he walked towards their meeting place, enjoying the thrill and mystery of sneaking around.

Something he had not done. He thought, "_Weeelll, saving the neighborhood, or mighty Pete and such don't count. This is different. This felt much more exhilarating."_

Up ahead, he noticed his girlfriend, currently wearing his familiar green plaid shirt leaning on a building wall, watching her surroundings. After that heartfelt moment in his room her mood changed, it improved tremendously. When they discussed her next step she said. "Well Arnold, I'm ready to face my problems head on. Whatever, they throw at me I know I can take. I mean…other than finding out that I was...you know… what's the worse that can happen?"

Arnold reached her and stood there looking to her, a smirk on her face as she spoke. "What took you so long Football Head?"

Arnold grinned, "Is that what I get for trying to get you breakfast? I mean I had to make it unnoticeable so my family wouldn't suspect a thing" he said as he offered her the napkin with the food inside. She rolled her eyes and smiled, then gladly accepted it.

"Not likely Arnoldo, it seems to me you made it extremely obvious to them. You're not experienced at being inconspicuous as I am. I'm sure they noticed." Arnold rolled his eyes and smirked. _"Oh please"_ He thought.

But she continued, "If not them at least I'm positive your grandma or grandpa noticed. Good going by the way!" she giggled before she took a bite out of the syrup deficient blueberry pancake.

Arnold began to rub the back of his neck, feeling odd all of a sudden as he spoke. "Well now that I think about it, Grandpa kinda…kept winking at me before I left. You don't think he suspected anything….do you?" Arnold looked to her to deny this discovery.

Helga's eyes shone as she grinned mischievously. "What do you think?"

Deflated at his obvious embarrassment, Arnold sheepishly replied, "I…guess..it was obvious huh?"

"Yep, extremely." She laughed unable to contain Arnold furious blushing at being found out. She then calmed herself and moved off the wall. "Shall we go then?"

Arnold smiled and took her hand. "Yes we shall" he said as they walked hand in hand heading for her home.

Approaching her block, they began to hear noises. It seemed rather rare for the neighborhood at this point in time.

As her home came into view they noticed a barrage of vehicles lining up the street and crowds of people were clustered all around, slowing local traffic. Running the rest of the way to see what was going on, Arnold and Helga noticed the noise increasing the closer they came. People were conversing simultaneously, and recklessly running about. It was like a circus, too much craziness was happening in this part of the neighborhood. The two young blondes tried to pierce through the crowd all lined up for who knows what. Arnold captured bits and piece of conversations as he and Helga forced themselves through the mania that now encased them from behind. One man passing by said: "Wow this is the biggest news we had since the neighborhood was saved two years ago!" Arnold turned to question the guy, but he lost him. As they plowed on through the crowd in the push and shove to get to her home they got separated. Losing their connection, Arnold tried to yell through the crowd for Helga. As did Helga for Arnold. They both attempted to reach other but they couldn't. It seems that the more they tried the more they were bustled further away from each other. Instead of pushing further, Helga changed course and headed for her home since that was where they were headed anyway.

After much effort Helga came to her front door, and saw it open to see a worn out Big Bob stepping out. Suddenly a bunch of flashes went off and people were talking over each other in order to get their questions answered. It was madness as Helga's gaze shifted to and from her father and the demanding crowd barricaded along the sidewalk. Helga turned to her father attempting to forcefully quiet the crowd with his words barely noticing a peeved Helga at the bottom step. Unable to take it anymore she yelled out to him. "What the heck is going on here?" Due to her outburst, the reporters turned their eyes to Helga and suddenly a barrage of questions and flashes turned her way.

_"Are you Helga Pataki?"_

_"How do you feel now that the truth has come out?"_

_"What was it like living with the Pataki's?"_

_"What do you plan on doing now?"_

_"Is this a new fashion style? Boy's plaid shirts?"_

_"Little lady, any comments or thoughts?"_

Seeing as Helga remained motionless with panic setting in her eyes they turned their attention back to Big Bob. Arnold finally made to the front line of the crowd on the other side of the brownstone some five feet away. He watched the scene unfold before him. He couldn't believe his eyes! There were reporters…everywhere hounding Big Bob and Helga. Arnold frowned. _"This isn't good!"_ He thought.

_", What are your thoughts regarding this...this situation?"_

_"What do you plan to do regarding the hospital's mistake?"_

_"Is Gloria Starski your real daughter?"_

_"Do you have anything to say ...anything at all?"_

With a regretful look, Big Bob looked to Helga and turned back to the reporters with their microphones and cameras capturing the scene before them with anticipation of how this drama will unfold. Bob Pataki's face grew stern and somewhat distant. He couldn't face Helga with the news he was about to give. So he just said, "I would like to make a statement."

**(A/N: Hey everyone here's the third chapter. I hope there's enough drama in here for you. This is sort of a test fic to see where it goes. I'm working on a few things so I'm not sure if I'll see this all the way through. I'll try my hardest though. I would like to thank those who reviewed last chapter. I liked your insights and comments they really helped. I would appreciate it if you please Review! Peace!)**


	4. Bob's Reflection

"**Bob's Reflection"**

**Disclaimer: I never owned Hey Arnold and still don't. (*Sigh*)**

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><p>Bob Pataki is blunt, abrasive, and pompous. A blow hard most of them say. Everyone in the community knew and saw that! But today, he was none of those adjectives described. As he stood in front of a flock of reporters Bob was flustered, weary, and fatigue marred his face. He was not the person everyone grew accustomed to see on a daily basis. Clearly, the news concerning Helga's so called switched at birth had affected him. This man, who Arnold knew and often felt contempt for throughout all the years he's known Helga was not the man standing before him; No, this man was foreign to him.<p>

Bob Pataki's voice rang out strong and stern as he spoke, "I would like to make a statement."

Everyone gathered closer to the stoop in anticipation of what he was about to say, hoping what they heard coming out of his mouth would be worth the wait. Flash sounds from cameras receded and the sound of static from the microphones planted near the stoop diminished as they were adjusted. A silent hush fell amongst the crowd of reporters, who for the most part of the morning awaited confirmation or any tidbits of information to plaster on to the air for thousands, possibly millions of people sitting at home tuning in to see. Situations such as these were very rare at best in this city. A scandal surrounding a hospital's mistake and the drama between two different families of two different girls seemed rather intriguing and definitely would help ratings. People can always appreciate drama!

Bob took a moment to compose himself and was bent on avoiding Helga's inquiring eyes while he spoke. He cleared his throat repetitively trying to find the best way to deliver what he had to say. He uttered gruffly.

"Uh…I'm glad you all could come..today, considering you people hounded my phone all mornin' in order to get news on the situation at hand." He mumbled the latter irritatedly.

" It's been extremely hard on my family and I since this news broke out a few hours ago and I would appreciate it if you all can respect our privacy after today's statement as we..uh…straighten things out!" He coughed focusing on maintaining his composure while trying to remove the anxiety overwhelming him. Normally under normal circumstances this setting would've been a walk in the park. Bob thought, "_If this was publicity for Big Bob's Beepers, I'd be milking all of this attention for all it's worth._" He sighed, _"Unfortunately, what I'm about say will change things for all of us. Most of all, Helga!"_

Bob Pataki took a moment to speak. He was stalling. He really didn't want to do this, he didn't know how else to say what he was about to say, but he had to. He looked around the sea of people and his eyes at last landed on Arnold's questioning gaze. His mood deflated even further. _"Oh man! This Arnie kid is not gonna take this well." _He thought.

He lifted his eyes and held his head high. There's no escaping this! I have to say it. His gaze shifted from Arnold back to the reporters. "Apparently, when the news broke out last night, my wife and I were urged to rush to the hospital and get tested to see if we were potential donors for..uh.." he cleared his throat again. "uh..Gloria".

He continued, "And this morning we received a call from the lab technician to determine paternity of the girl and the results…confirmed the hospitals finding. Gloria is our legitimate daughter." A murmur from the crowd erupted and it began to grow. Bob sighed and tried to push back the wave of emotions coming over him. He thought, "_I_ _will not breakdown in front of these leeches. NO! the heck I will!"_

Meanwhile, Helga stood still her eyes unwavering from her father's lips, capturing word for word the devastating confirmation….she is not a Pataki, she never was. Arnold himself stood still, eyes wide, mouth agape as he heard the confirmation. He couldn't believe it. There's no denying it anymore! He took a look at Helga and tried to move closer to her but the reporters swarmed in closer to Bob hindering his attempt. So he stayed put for the time being.

Everyone returned to asking Bob more questions, shoving their microphones closer to his face, wanting to gather more information on the situation at hand. This was just too good for them to pass up. One after the other questions were thrown out without a reply given. Things were starting to get out of control.

Trying to regain control of this so called news conference, Bob lifted his hands up to quiet down the crowd once again. So..they did. They knew he had more to say! At this very moment, Arnold had a foreboding feeling that what was coming next could be devastating for Helga. He wished his instincts were wrong with every fiber of his being. But the feeling was just too strong to surpass. And Bob's grim expression was not helping matters either. His only resolve would be that no matter what he would be there for Helga. This he vowed.

Determined to get out what he had to say, Bob Pataki swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Also we received a call from-" Wiping the light sweat that glistened on his forehead, Bob took another deep breath before he uttered. "Children's Social Services who requested us to hand over Helga within 24 hours in order to return her to her rightful home and parentage." Gasps were heard among the crowd, mainly neighbors in the surrounding area who were familiar with the Pataki's.

Suddenly Arnold couldn't hold it in, he had to speak out. "NO….NO…Mr. Pataki you can't do this. Don't do this to Helga, please Mr. Pataki! Don't send her away, Please!"

The cameras flashed on him as he spoke out, pleadingly. Big Bob could not keep his head up as it slumped along with his shoulders. Helga's eyes shifted quickly from left to right as the words processed over and over in her mind, hoping to find some error in the way they were placed.

She thought, _"This has got to be a dream…No, a nightmare. Wake up, Helga. Wake up NOW!"_

But Bob's voice broke her daze as he looked to her, eyes filled with tears unshed, a face looking torn with guilt. His face had so much emotion that she realized it was the first time in her life and maybe the last that she will ever see him this way. Bob uttered then. "I'm sorry Helga, but I…have no choice. I have to do this."

Helga heard his words of apology, her unibrow furrowed close together, _"No" _she thought_. _Helga's lower lip quivered and her fists clenched with rage and anger. _"NO" _she repeated inwardly again. She threw her so called father the most venomous glare, not concerned with the regretful look he was giving her. Her posture rigid and tense from head to toe. Inwardly she screamed._ "NO!"_

Fed up with how easily they always tossed her aside without even considering what she thought or wanted, she grew furious. She had enough of them that's for sure! So through gritted teeth, she uttered. "NO, **BOB** you always had a choice. And as usual… **I…** wasn't IT!" And with seething anger on her face, Helga turned around and walked away from her home, the only family she's ever known, and the swarm of reporters. Bob's eyes reverted to the ground as he sighed, feeling embarrassed. He heard footsteps approach; he looked up to see Arnold, staring at him with disappointed eyes. He stopped short of Bob, facing him, and examined the man for a moment. The scene looked similarly to two cowboys ready for a showdown. The slight wind of fall, whistling around them, teasing their hair and clothes. But after a slight moment of silence Arnold quietly spoke. "Helga is a special girl, you know. I had the chance to see that." He paused, piercing his gaze into Bob's eyes, rendering the man somewhat uneasy for the first time. He continued frankly, "I feel sorry for you… that after all these years you never got to see that too!" And at that moment, Arnold snapped his gaze away, breaking his spell on the man and walked away from the circus fanfare… in search of Helga.

Bob blinked once, then twice as he lingered on his stoop for a moment, staring at the retreating back of Arnold, pondering what he said while the reporters started to hound him with questions unanswered once again; their need was to get his reaction to this and to that. Bob snapped out of his temporary daze and faced the crowd, his face stoic once again.

His voice started off shaky, but he managed to save face at the end. "I….have nothing else to say. I will appreciate it if you would respect our request for privacy on this matter from now on. Thank You!" Ignoring the demands of more questions and constant snapping of pictures of him, Bob quickly stepped away from the spotlight and into his quiet and nearly empty home.

Once the door was close, and all the noises from the commotion outside were gone, he leaned against it for support. At that very moment, Arnold's words were ringing in his head_. " Helga is a special girl, you know. I had the chance to see that. I feel sorry for you that after all these years you never got to see that too!"_ Bob Pataki clenched his fists, he couldn't stop these words from reemerging in his head. How dare he? Couldn't he see that this was hurting him too? This was not his fault. He felt that he was making the right decision, considering the facts placed before him. What else could he have done? She didn't belong to him anyway. She wasn't his daughter, at least not now!

But Arnold's words hit a nerve, he knew she was special. Oh yes! He knew that for quite some time! Ever since he helped her rehearse her lines for the play 'Romeo & Juliet' where she miraculously memorized in a short amount of time, and acted it, reciting each word flawlessly on stage, he knew. There were other memories came to mind that gave him a clue, but watching her up there on that stage was the only time he fully acknowledged that. He felt proud at that moment as he held on to Miriam, watching her take her bows, clapping along with the audience as she received a standing ovation. He knew. But as the days went back to normal it just slipped his mind. A lonely tear suddenly streaked down on his face as he recalled that event. And as usual, after the play, Big Bob's Beepers once again became his sole focus. He felt they understood that being the bread winner of the family was his one and only role. A role he took quite seriously, he might add. Being a father was included in the provider category and nothing else. That was as far as it went. No wonder he had trouble watching 'the girl' when her mother left them alone for a few days so he could spend 'quantity time' with her. That was Miriam's job, not his. Besides, working was a lot of pressure on him. He didn't need more tasks added to his list of duties. All he asked for in return for his hard work which put food on the table and a roof over their heads etc was for them to give their all and nothing less in all aspects of life whether it be academics, sports, anything competitive; they were to be THE Best (No second place, that's for losers). Was that too much to ask? No, he thought!

But looking back on his reasoning, he realized that what he thought to be good parenting to him may have been misconstrued on his part. He cared about his family…. wholeheartedly, but showing or talking about his feelings and all that mumbo jumbo sentimentality crap was just not like him. He was taught by his father in the school of hard knocks. Show no emotion, show no weaknesses, aim high and you'll be ready to survive the real world. That was the way he was raised and that's the way he raise his kids. During his football days, his father often quoted to him that "Winning is not the only thing, it's everything". Probably one of the reasons he hated to lose or anyone his family to do so for that matter. And if his family is not the best then he felt that he failed as a father. It's one of the reasons why he never understood Helga's unwillingness to emulate her older sister, Olga. If she was like Olga, she would've probably caught his attention more often. He realized that logic seemed flawed now that he had a chance to reflect on it. But now…it's too late.

Hearing a bustle in the kitchen made him quickly wipe away the tear that streamed down his face…..Miriam. Upon hearing the news that she had to give Helga away she had been a wreck. Not to mention finding out her real daughter was lying awake in the hospital. She had been crying nonstop, after leaving the hospital, and since they got home. She even cried on the phone, as she spoke to Olga, who's apparently making the drive down here with a friend from Alaska. Miriam right now is in a fragile state. One of the reasons why he had to face those damned reporters alone. He had to be strong for her. He had to take responsibility in his own hands so she wouldn't have so much weight on her shoulders. He's surprised she hasn't resorted to drinking…yet!

Bob's mind wandered to the girl he met at the hospital, his real daughter. Things were awkward at best upon meeting her. He knew this wouldn't be easy and seeing her in her state was quite uncomfortable to say the least. But she seemed okay, a little frail but still optimistic. Her personality is meek and shy unlike Helga's personality which is strong and commanding. Gloria seems reminiscent of Olga as far as politeness goes and such! Yep, meeting her was quite awkward and uneasy. Bob hopes that it won't always be that way. He hopes that things will work themselves out, because he sure as hell doesn't know what to do from now on!

**(A/N: Hey all! I wrote this chapter with the main focus on Bob because I often think he is portrayed as uncaring. Bob cares about Helga a great deal it is evident in the some the Hey Arnold episodes, but he has a somewhat arms length relationship with her and I wanted to explain my take on it in this chapter. So I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you review! Once again thank you to all who reviewed and took an interest in this fic. Until next chapter…..Deuces;)**


	5. Last name, First name?

**A/N: Sorry,sorry for not updating. I know it's been a while, but I'm still here. And I'm writing again, had to step back for a bit. Hope you all can understand..Anyhoo, yep I still say that :) This chapter is relatively short, but it's the quiet before the storm kinda thing. So enjoy!  
><strong>

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><p>Helga ran and ran until she arrived at Mighty Pete. It was one of her favorite places to escape the never ending drama that was her life. With much haste, she climbed up the ladder and entered the tree space. This place used to be a hang out for the gang, but as time went on and new relationships formed, the gang had not had much time meeting up here. As Helga stood in the center of the tree house, longing for the days of old she felt that time was moving too fast.<p>

Since the age of three, she had grown up. She endured the harshness of the world, but still hoping for a better future. She stood on her own as best she could for almost 9 years. She shook her head disbelieving at how long she had managed to survive this way.

It was not until Arnold's claim of love for her that she felt things were slowing down a bit. She could enjoy life again, be young, feel young. Unfortunately, she spoke too soon.

She scoffed, "Yeah too soon!"

Noticing the worn out couch, she went over and dumped herself on it with abandon. _Plunk!_

She was growing tired of torturing herself, but she couldn't help it, she didn't want to leave her home.

And after a few brief moments of silence quietly she spoke. "I was finally starting to accept the way my life was and WHAM something like this had to happen."

Suddenly, a worried expression came to her face as a thought came to her, "_I hope that if I do leave that Arnold would still be in my life_."

Feeling down, she sighed and a tear threatened to come out.

"No" she said. "I will not cry. I'm a Patak-" her sentence hung incomplete. _"Pataki...I'm no longer a Pataki_._"_ She thought.

Many times, she had questioned jokingly to herself about really being a Pataki over the years; however, it was mainly an excuse for not seeing herself blending in as a daughter, and a sister.

There were instances where it ran deeper than that. Running into Arnold that faithful day in preschool certainly made questions pester her mind. Looking at other families unlike her own did that too. She was neglected and she did not know why. It made her wonder what everyone really thought of her.

Arnold was the sole person who wanted to know her(the real her), who wanted her to feel appreciated and cared for. A three year old boy, did that in one day! One!

Helga chuckled. She couldn't believe this boy's caring nature, he was something else. Although, she had Arnold, she didn't know for how long. What will she be now?

As she sat there staring into space, she pondered, _"Am I destined to follow that path? To lose my identity and gain another? Will this change me completely? Or am I to live my life in an undetermined state till I croak?" _

She snapped her focus to a picture hanging on top of a makeshift shelf of the whole gang from one of many baseball games with their 5th grade rivals. It was one of the few games that they won. Her gaze zoomed in on the blonde pigtailed hair girl with the pink jumper standing next to Phoebe and Arnold.

An all knowing smirk was pasted all over her face that day. Taunting those 5th graders with ammunition Phoebe had gathered proved to be their undoing as they were unable to concentrate. "Those losers! Oh man, they totally struck out the whole game."

This girl in the picture was as tough as they came. She had no fear except for rats of course, but who could blame her rats were icky.

Wolfgang's and Ludwig's threats didn't faze her. Besides, they punched like a bunch of pansies.

But luckily they didn't that day, and the victory was sweeter for it.

To the naked eye the girl in that picture looked confident and fearless, but if one looked closely, they would see another girl, her gaze a bit soft glancing partly sideways toward her male teammate. She had found love…in him and now that may also be taken away.

_"I am...a Starski now. Possibly Gloria Starski. Dad said it's official. Although, I'll never admit it to him, but I did like being a Pataki. All those things I said about me despising them, wasn't true." _Helga picked a her clothes as she continued to think. "_I was respected and admired, being a Pataki. It gave me a certain sense of authority and character for the role that I played in school. I ruled P.S.118 with two iron fists both are legends. Helga G. Pataki, a.k.a the 4__th__ grade bully. Oh yeah! that name brought shivers down people's spine; especially pork boy 'Harold'."_

_"Now that my namesake has changed I wonder who would I be? Will the Pataki name still be tied to me or will I change into someone else."_

Only time will tell…

A shuffling sound was heard coming from the entryway of the tree. In moments time, a tuff of blonde hair appeared at the top of the ladder.

"Helga?" Arnold called out as his eyes came into view, but she didn't respond.

Arnold's gaze landed on her sitting on the bean bag chair, staring into space. He quickly made his way up the rest of the way and slowly approached her. Yet Helga, still didn't move.

He knelt at her feet, gently placing a hand on her arm to capture her attention. He looked into her eyes, tears on the cusp of falling, and his heart ached. Softly he said her name, "Helga?"

Helga's eyes slowly dropped toward Arnold's own, and a few tears escaped then. "Why doesn't anybody want me? Why Arnold?"

Arnold gently squeezed her arm, and smiled.

"I want you!" he whispered earnestly.

Helga looked into his sincere green eyes and couldn't help the butterflies fluttering about in her stomach. He always knew just what to say to save her from further insanity. Helga was speechless, but a slow smile came to her face then. "You…" her voice cracked a bit before she spoke again, clearly, "You sound so corny saying that!"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit. Seeing her smile, Arnold reached out to give her a hug. He wanted to comfort her and protect her the only way he could. He held her tightly while rubbing soothing circles at her back. "Hm, I know, I just wanted you to know that I…love you, Helga. I love you."

Helga sighed into him, smiling brightly. "Thanks Arnold." She hugged him back tightly. "I love you too."

Arnold slightly pulled away to give Helga a chaste kiss on her pouty pink lips. "Feeling a little bit better?"

Once again she sighed, dreamily. "Yeeeah"

Arnold smiled at the lingering blush still on her cheeks. He felt pride at being able to make her blush, hardly anyone but him got to see that.

He leaned back slightly on his toes, trying stay balanced. Noticing the unease of Arnold's position, Helga offered him a seat, which he gladly accepted. He placed his arm around her shoulders. "Helga?"

"Hmm?"

"We're gonna get through this. I just know it."

"Arnold, still the ever optimist." She looked down and played with his fingers while in thought. "You...thinks so?"

He turned to look at her and said. "Yes, I know so."

He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "And I'm sure Gloria's parents are not so bad. That is if you _do_ have to leave-"

Helga held up a hand to interrupt him, her face was stoic. "Arnold…" she sighed, "Bob made his decision. He chose to send me to them. Clearly, my opinion does not matter so…" She shrugged her shoulders as if resigning to her fate.

"What?" Arnold uttered, shocked. He paused, "That's…I can't believe …okay…okay maybe we could work something out with the Starskis'. I could speak to them and..and see if they would, you know, let you stay...there. And we could-"

Helga looked to Arnold with a fleeting smile.

"Arnold" She sighed heavily then, "I'm not staying where I'm not wanted. Maybe… it's best that I stay with the Starskis. Like you said… maybe they're not so bad!"

Arnold nodded hesitant while Helga forced a grin. He couldn't hold her gaze long, it was torture seeing her like this. He balled his fist as he and his girlfriend sat there for hours quietly, both staring into the room that held their past. This may be their last visit here.

Arnold knew how much it hurt, letting go. He sometimes struggled doing the same with his parents that had been lost in the jungles of San Lorenzo. However, the happy ending he got was not to be for her.

All of a sudden, he felt useless.

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><p><strong>I hope you liked the lovey doveyness of Arnold and Helga there! Let me know what you think of this chapter!<strong>

**Ciao,everyone;)**


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